System fails Native students

Page 7

For almost 10 years, First Nations have been sounding the alarm about the way the public education system has been failing Aboriginal students in British Columbia. At the insistence of First Nations, the Ministry of Education began collecting data about the performance of Aboriginal students in public schools. The results confirm the claims of First Nations. Our children have been performing well below that of non-Aboriginal students.

Yet, until the Fraser Institute published its recent Report Card on Aboriginal Education in British Columbia, there seemed to be little public attention focused on this important issue.

First Nations and the Fraser Institute agree on two points. Firstly, the public education system is failing Aboriginal students. Secondly, while there have been successes, there is much more work to be done to help Aboriginal students achieve the same levels of performance as other students.

How can we improve the quality of education for Aboriginal students? Not by following the simplistic solutions of the Fraser Institute.

They place much emphasis on encouraging competition within the public education system. But school choice simply does not exist in rural areas where many Aboriginal families live.

What First Nations have done is to build positive and active working relationships at many levels, most importantly between Aboriginal communities and school districts. For example, in B.C. there are nine signed enhancement agreements between Aboriginal communities and school districts. Enhancement agreements set out joint strategies for enhancing the educational achievement of Aboriginal students.

Two of the most longstanding enhancement agreements are in the Campbell River and Kamloops school districts, and all of the data to date indicate tremendous successes. For example, in Campbell River there has been an increase in Grade 7 numeracy of Aboriginal students from 51 per cent to 78 per cent. In Kamloops, Grade 4 numeracy in Aboriginal students increased from 58 per cent in 2000 to 77 per cent in 2003. A goal of over 90 per cent attendance for First Nations students was met for four years in a row.

Unfortunately, there are still 51 districts that do not have enhancement agreements although several are in negotiations.

Another way that First Nations have improved Aboriginal education has been to try to eliminate one of the biggest barriers to overcome for Aboriginal students-the systemic racism that still exists throughout the education system.

To address this issue, we have brought in education partners such as the B.C. Teachers' Federation, the B.C. School Trustees Association, the B.C. Principals' and Vice Principals' Association, the B.C. College of Teachers, the B.C. School Superintendents Association, the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, the First Nations Schools Association and the federal and provincial governments.

Education can be an effective vehicle for promoting understanding and improving relationships between First Nations and other peoples in B.C. First Nations working together with communities and school districts can provide Aboriginal students with genuine opportunities to obtain an education that will prepare them for the 21st century. That is an objective that benefits First Nations and all Canadians.

Christa Williams is executive director of the First Nations Education Steering Committee and is a member of the Nlaka'pamux Nation.